Food truck owner recovering after explosion: ‘Blessed I’m still here’

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - A St. Paul food truck owner says he feels lucky to be alive after an explosion during a test run left three people badly burned.

Test run turned explosion

What we know:

Shareef Shaheed said he worked two jobs for 10 years, including one as a cook at the Dorothy Day Center in St. Paul, to open his own business.

He had bought a used food truck to serve southern comfort food under the name Soul4Life when that plan suddenly changed.

Dig deeper:

Shaheed said he, his fiance, Megan Welle, and a friend were doing a test run on the truck on St. Paul's East Side when something went wrong.

He said he had turned on the propane tank and was about to light the pilot light for the deep fryer when the explosion blew him out of the truck.

The backstory:

"I'm doing well, man. I'm doin' well. A little emotional, it's a mental struggle," said Shaheed from his hospital bed. "Being around a kitchen, I knew to stop, drop and roll. So at that time, that was on my mind. I was rolling to make sure that the fire is put out."

Recovery and the road ahead

Big picture view:

The St. Paul Fire Department said three people were hospitalized with severe burns.

The department also said the cause of the blast is still under investigation.

Shaheed said he suffered second and third-degree burns on his face, hands and legs and has undergone surgery to repair the damage.

He said all three of them will be at Regions Hospital for weeks and that the road to recovery will not be easy.

"It's hurting, it's killing me, but they definitely take care of me," said Shaheed.

Shaheed's family has started a GoFundMe to help with medical bills and living expenses while he and his fiance are out of work.

"I'm definitely lucky to be alive. I feel like God got a plan for me. He ain't finished with me yet. He burned me up, but he ain't burned me down," said Shaheed.

What's next:

A GoFundMe campaign has been created to help Shaheed get back on his feet.

The Source: Reporting from FOX 9's Maury Glover.